Humanitarian Response during the pandemic

 

We realized that the older adults are at greater risk of illness and death during many types of emergencies including the Covid-19 pandemic. We also started witnessing that few specific conditions of elderlies, such as impaired mobility, diminished sensory awareness, multiple chronic illnesses, and social and economic limitations reduced their ability to adapt during situations like ‘Lock-Down’. Within no time, special efforts were initiated by the team. The most promising aspect that came handy during this situation was our already existing process of filling ‘Saving Life Checklist (SLC)’ for each elderly, which gave us complete understanding of their health, especially chronic illnesses.

 

We were compelled to think beyond the day to day, routine situations in life, to carve out a comprehensive, community-based emergency response plan. This process in our Pune

community based project entailed:

 

• Creating first responders/ peers of elderly through our community workers that reside in Slums.

• Training these peers on meeting the unique needs of vulnerable older people

• Creating back-up service providers for telehealth (both counselling and consultations)

• Creating a system for listing and providing basic supplies: raw ration, hygiene products for standard precaution, medicines, multivitamins, adult-diapers and other life sustaining items

• And rigorously implementing the individual care plan (ICP) developed on the basis of the Saving Life Checklist (SLC)

 

Today, our Covid response work is all about:

 

• curbing misinformation and rumours surrounding vaccines with a view to curb vaccine hesitancy amongst the elderly & their family  (There has been widely circulating false information about the pandemic on social media platforms, such as that vaccine candidates have died after taking COVID-19 vaccine, and that the pandemic is a conspiracy or a bioweapon)

• spreading awareness about the importance of Covid Appropriate Behas, and

• ensuring the alternative of home treatment of COVID positive cases  as much as possible to reduce load on stressed public health care system

• Essential medicines for post COVID & post vaccination effects wherever applicable for home recovery

• Supply of appropriate masks & sanitizers wherever needed

• Ensuring vaccination of elderlies through regular registration, escorting for vaccination and providing post-vaccination support 

• Tele-consultation through virtual OPDs

• Creation & capacity building of local community workers  to act as members of COVID Discipline Committee at the locality level ( ward/ slum) level.